Letter

Re “Obama's Keystone trap,” Opinion, April 22 Jonah Goldberg has a point. On one side there are the global warming deniers; on the other are the hard-line environmental activists. One side refuses to accept there is a problem; the other demonizes those who raise questions. Environmentalists who consider global warming an emergency should support the construction of safe, reliable nuclear power plants and the continued development of natural gas resources to replace petroleum and coal.

Re “Watch Putin's lips,” Opinion, April 20 I don't like Russian President Vladimir Putin. I don't like the way he is dismantling nascent Russian democracy, and I do not like the way he jailed Pussy Riot. But the man is eating our lunch, and our foreign policy poohbahs cannot figure out why they are hungry. When the Crimean caper comes to be analyzed, we will understand that Putin has served a valuable function. He has revealed our president as being clothed in a vaporous foreign policy based on holding hands and making the world a better place.

Re “U.S. drones attack Yemen targets,” April 22 The article states in part that “these strikes marked an escalation in the Obama administration's shadow war against the terrorist network's most powerful franchise,” killing a mix of 55 militants and civilians. Isn't this the same president who won a Nobel Peace Prize? Erik Lawrence San Diego More letters to the editor ...

Re “Biden in Ukraine in show of support,” April 22 For a nation that espouses democracy, the U.S. is showing its dictatorial side in Ukraine. We have no more business being involved in Ukraine than I do in the marital affairs of the couple down the street. We decry Russia putting troops on its border with Ukraine, but we then put our troops in Poland and ships in the Black Sea on its border. At least the Russians are in their own domain; we are not. Phil Wilt Van Nuys As the Russians consolidate their hold on Crimea and begin their move into the rest of Ukraine, as the Iranians move toward a nuclear weapon capability that will change the balance of power in the Middle East, and as the Chinese expand their territorial claims into the waters of their neighbors, President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John F. Kerry threaten “consequences” and try to engage each of them in negotiations that inevitably will lead nowhere.

Re “Oil and gas industry generates thousands of jobs in California, report finds,” April 22 This article came straight from the industry's PR team. What good is a job if employees die from toxins or accidents? What good is tax revenue if residents are too ill to go to school or work? Jobs? Let's hire more teachers to teach science. Let's fund more public transportation. Let's invest in companies harnessing renewable forms of energy. If oil company shareholders and CEOs wised up and switched their business model from oil to sun, wind and water, our planet could thrive.

Re “ A midlife moving crisis ,” April 20 Why focus on such a worst-case scenario in this story? Perhaps there is more to the family dynamic than we are told, but if it is as the article states, I am appalled at how this elderly mother is treating her daughter and her family in this time of need. I am sure there are thousands of such cases of midlife people moving in with their parents in which it is working out well and to the benefit of all. In most countries, this is the norm.

Re “ Patt Morrison Asks: Mark Zoback, frackologist ,” April 23 I was surprised to read Mark Zoback's position on hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” He states that we need to make sure “industry follows best practices, that we have good regulations in place, and those regulations are enforced.” But he admits that “regulations are often neglected or abused, and that neglect manifests itself in dramatic accidents [like]...

Jim Buss says he will resign in three or four years [April 20] if the Lakers are not back on top because that will mean he has failed. Dude, you have already failed both the team and its fans by your evident lack of leadership, so why must we wait so long for you to ultimately depart? How about in three or four months you turn over the team reins to someone more competent than you! Why should we twist in the wind for the obvious to become even more obvious? Goodbye and good riddance, Jim, we won't miss you at all. Roy Reel Culver City :: Jim Buss said if the Lakers aren't contending for an NBA title in three or four years he will step aside and let someone else run the team and make player personnel decisions.

Re “ Does fracking cause quakes? ,” Editorial, April 20 Thanks for your clearly voiced concerns about fracking. Certainly the geology of California, which is significantly different from other oil shale areas, implies both a risk of major seismic events and increased difficulty in containing the toxic wastes generated. The other potential problems with fracking are almost too numerous to mention in a short letter, including release of more greenhouse gases and local pollution of surface, ground and ocean water, as well as air pollution and transportation issues.

Any Chicago music fan of the '80s and '90s would acknowledge the huge contributions that Frankie Knuckles made to that city's (and American) culture with his blend of disco, electronic music and gay-friendly nightlife. That includes the city's most famous expat: President Obama. After Knuckles' death last month , the president wrote a condolence letter to his family and friends. DJ and manager David Morales, whose agency Def Mix represented Knuckles, posted it to Facebook this morning.